Yes it’s true that Google is a powerhouse and offers many "good" and "free" tools to maximize any hotel’s website revenue. However, be aware that Google is not in the business of offering charity and has positioned itself to learn more about your on-line business than YOU might possibly be aware of.

Last year Google purchased Urchin a really cool website stats software provider. Google has since offered their version of Urchin called Google Analytics for free to any webmaster who is willing to drop some simple code onto their website. So while the free Google Analytics tool is great and saves hoteliers money by not having to buy website statistical software, it also provides Google with an advantage on your business you may not want them to have.

Through Google Analytics, Google can now see your sales conversion rates when you’re running an AdWords PPC campaign, and they can get a pretty good idea as to what your profit margins are. If you have a great profit margin, well Google can now raise the click cost and take more of your money. That’s the big "AHA!" Did someone say "wolf in sheep’s clothing".